Lee Jae Myung’s approval falls to 35.2% in new Realmeter poll

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s approval rating fell to 35.2% in a Realmeter survey released on October 12, down 2.2 percentage points from the previous week.

Negative assessments increased by 1.6 percentage points to 61.4%. The poll covered 1,504 adults nationwide from October 6–8 and was commissioned by the Asia Business Daily.

Realmeter linked the decline to controversy over judicial independence, disputes over mine explosions near the border and rising housing costs. Those explanations reflect the pollster’s assessment of the political environment.

A separate survey of 1,004 adults on October 7–8 put support for the ruling Democratic Party at 35.5%, down 7 percentage points, and the opposition People Power Party at 41.3%, up 2.9 points.

The presidential survey’s margin of error was 2.5 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. The party survey’s margin was 3.1 points at the same confidence level.